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Learn Hardcore Croatian: Želim da ostanemo prijatelji. - I want us to remain friends.

Hardcore Croatian
/Clearing up a misunderstanding
/Želim da ostanemo prijatelji.

Želim da ostanemo prijatelji.

Želim da ostanemo prijatelji.

I want us to remain friends.

Breakdown of Želim da ostanemo prijatelji.

ostati prijatelji

to remain friends

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Questions & Answers about Želim da ostanemo prijatelji.

Why is it da ostanemo and not an infinitive?

Because the sentence has two different grammatical subjects:

želim = I want
ostanemo = we stay/remain

In Croatian, when the subject of the second action is different from the subject of the first verb, a da + present-tense clause is very common:

Želim da ostanemo prijatelji. = I want us to remain friends.

If the subject were the same, Croatian often uses the infinitive:

Želim ostati ovdje. = I want to stay here.

So here, da ostanemo is the natural choice because I am wanting, but we are the ones remaining friends.

What exactly does ostanemo mean here?

Ostanemo comes from the verb ostati, which means to stay or to remain.

Here it is:

1st person plural = we
in a da-clause
expressing something wanted or desired

So da ostanemo means something like:

that we remain
for us to stay

Even though the form looks like present tense, after da it often refers to something desired, intended, or future-oriented, not literally a present action happening right now.

Why is it prijatelji and not prijatelje?

Because prijatelji is a predicate noun after ostati.

In this sentence, friends describes what we are or remain. Croatian normally uses the nominative for that:

ostanemo prijatelji = we remain friends

So:

prijatelji = nominative plural
prijatelje = accusative plural

The accusative would be wrong here, because friends is not a direct object. It is describing the subject we.

Why is there no word for we in the sentence?

Croatian often drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

Here:

ostanemo already tells you the subject is we

So mi is unnecessary unless you want emphasis:

Želim da ostanemo prijatelji. = neutral, normal
Želim da mi ostanemo prijatelji. = more emphasis on we

This is very common in Croatian.

Is ostati perfective or imperfective, and why is that important here?

Ostati is perfective.

That matters because perfective verbs in Croatian usually refer to a completed result or a single outcome, not an ongoing process. Here the idea is:

to remain / end up continuing as friends

So ostanemo focuses on the result or state being maintained.

The imperfective partner is ostajati, but that would usually suggest repeated or ongoing action in a different way and would not sound natural here for this meaning.

So:

Želim da ostanemo prijatelji. = I want us to remain friends

This is the normal choice.

Could you also say Želim da budemo prijatelji?

Yes, but it is not exactly the same.

Želim da budemo prijatelji. = I want us to be friends
Želim da ostanemo prijatelji. = I want us to remain friends

The sentence with ostanemo implies that the two people are already friends, and the speaker wants that to continue.

The sentence with budemo is more general and can mean either:

the speaker wants a friendship to exist, or
wants the friendship to continue, depending on context

So ostanemo is more specific.

Is this sentence natural Croatian?

Yes, it is natural and clear.

It is a normal way to say:

I want us to stay friends
I want us to remain friends

That said, in very formal prescriptive grammar, some people prefer infinitive constructions where possible, but in everyday Croatian, da + present is extremely common and fully natural.

So for a learner, this is a good, useful sentence.

Why is želim in the present tense if the meaning is about the future?

Because želim means I want, and that wanting exists now.

The sentence does not mean the remaining-friends action is happening right now in a literal present-time sense. Instead, it means:

Right now, I have the wish/desire that we remain friends.

So the main verb is present because the desire is present, while the da clause expresses what the speaker wants to happen or continue.

Can the word order change?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, though the original version is the most neutral:

Želim da ostanemo prijatelji.

You could also hear:

Da ostanemo prijatelji, to želim.
This is much more marked and stylistic.

Or with emphasis:

Ja želim da ostanemo prijatelji.
Emphasizes I
Želim da mi ostanemo prijatelji.
Emphasizes we

So the usual, most natural order is the one you were given.

Does this sound emotional or like a breakup sentence?

It can, depending on context.

By itself, Želim da ostanemo prijatelji is grammatically neutral. It simply means I want us to remain friends.

But in real life, it is often used in emotionally loaded situations, for example:

after an argument
after a romantic breakup
when trying to preserve a relationship in a non-romantic form

So the emotional tone comes mostly from the situation, not from the grammar itself.

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